


don't just leave it all up to chance

by accordingtomel



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Human, Childhood Friends, First Kiss, Flirting, Fluff, Kissing Booths, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-06
Updated: 2016-10-06
Packaged: 2018-08-19 19:36:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,890
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8222437
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/accordingtomel/pseuds/accordingtomel
Summary: “Shut up, Jace,” Izzy commands, glaring at him before turning her attention back to Simon. “Okay, so you know how Clary and I are in charge of the Senior Prom Fundraiser?”“Oh yeah, sure?”“And you know how we told you we had everything totally covered?” Clary adds.Simon glances over at Jace in confusion, but Jace just shrugs.“Well, we kind of need some help now,” Izzy says.“What kind of help?” Simon asks slowly.Magnus snorts like he can’t help himself, which means that he must know what's going on too.Silence falls over the table for a moment too long before Clary finally comes out with it. “We need you to take a shift at the kissing booth.”***Simon gets roped into working at a kissing booth. The consequences, however, are much better than he could've ever expected.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I'm pretty sure I saw a prompt about kissing booths somewhere on tumblr, and my brain immediately went to Saphael. I literally couldn't get the idea out of my head until I wrote it. So, there you go! Huge thanks to thesparkandtheking for always providing me with awesome feedback and to thatchickwholikesbooks for the Spanish translations. Also, a HUGE thank you to [hibyefelicia](http://archiveofourown.org/users/hibyefelicia/pseuds/hibyefelicia) for the amazing and thorough beta! You're the best <333 Any remaining mistakes are my own.
> 
>  **ETA:** Check out [this awesome artwork](http://joekeerys.tumblr.com/post/151752098667/commission-for-accordingtomels-fic-read-here) that I comissioned for this fic and please like/reblog the artist's awesome work!! ♥

_Most_ people hate Mondays. They are the painful reminder that school, work, and other responsibilities haven’t disappeared after all. It’s the longest time between the previous weekend and the next weekend. Plus, Monday morning usually means less sleep, more traffic, and not enough coffee.

So, it makes sense to hate Mondays.

Simon, however, knows that the _real_ worst day of the week is, in fact, Tuesday.

For starters, you no longer have the excuse that “it’s Monday” to fall back on. People expect more out of you on a Tuesday than on a Monday. Then there’s the fact that Simon’s dad passed away on a Tuesday. And, when he was younger, his childhood cat ran away on a Tuesday. 

Tuesdays are the day of the week where he has _both_ AP Calculus and Honors Chemistry in the morning. They’re a lot for one brain to handle all at once. Then, he has to deal with Mr. Peterson in his World History class, who is legitimately the most boring person Simon has ever met in his entire life. _Ever_. He is literally the epitome of watching paint dry. Tuesdays are also the day that his best friend Raphael can’t give him a ride home from school, which means that he has to take the bus home. It’s crowded and smelly and the regular bus driver hates Simon’s guts. So it’s always a painful experience.

The only saving grace is that Tuesdays are the only day of the week when most of his friends have a free lunch period at the same time. Simon has no idea why, but he’s certainly not complaining.

“Oh, good. Simon’s here,” Clary says, slapping Izzy on the arm like she can’t clearly see him standing there.

“I had _no_ idea,” Izzy deadpans, expression melting a second later as Clary makes a face at her. Simon tries not to smile too wide at how adorable they are. They’ve been dating for over a year, but are still the cutest, and Simon’s _totally_ jealous of their relationship.

“We wanted to talk to you,” Clary continues as Simon takes the seat across from her, right beside Magnus, at their usual table in the cafeteria.

She has that look in her eyes that warns Simon she’s been scheming about something. Having been best friends since they were in diapers has taught Simon to be leery, and he’s suddenly regretting ever coming over here in the first place.

“ _That_ usually never spells anything good for me.”

“Don’t be so dramatic,” Jace says with a smirk, from his place on Magnus’ left side. Which means he knows exactly what’s going on, _and_ thinks it’s hilarious. Which… shit. That definitely can’t be good.

“Shut up, Jace,” Izzy commands, glaring at him before turning her attention back to Simon. “Okay, so you know how Clary and I are in charge of the Senior Prom Fundraiser?”

“Oh yeah, sure?”

“And you know how we told you we had everything _totally_ covered?” Clary adds.

Simon glances over at Jace in confusion, but Jace just shrugs.

“Well, we kind of need some help now,” Izzy says.

“What _kind_ of help?” Simon asks slowly.

“It would only take up like a couple hours of your day, max,” Clary says.

Izzy nods and grins widely at him. “And we would both love you forever and ever.”

Magnus snorts like he can’t help himself, which means that he must know what's going on too.

“What is it you want me to do?” Simon asks again as he finally starts pulling out his lunch.

Silence falls over the table for a moment too long before Clary finally comes out with it. “We need you to take a shift at the kissing booth.”

It takes a few moments for the words to travel from his ears to his brain, and when Simon finally processes what was just said, he nearly falls out of his seat.

“ _Excuse_ me?”

“The kissing booth,” Izzy interjects, leaning forward. “One of the guys who was going to do it apparently came down with mono.”

“And we need someone to fill his spot.” Clary shakes her head and smiles brightly at him, but Simon knows what she’s doing. “Regardless, we really need the money and we really need the help.”

“So, you decided to ask _me_?” Simon’s still more than a little baffled by this turn of events.

“Yes.”

“ _Because_ …?”

Clary casts a brief glance over at Izzy before meeting his gaze. “Because you’re attractive, and you’re our friend, and we know you’d be awesome at it, and you have a really hard time saying no to me?”

Well, at least she’s honest about it. Simon has to give her that.

“Okay. But, like wouldn’t someone like Alec be a better choice than me?”

Both Magnus and Jace burst out laughing like Simon’s just said the most hilarious thing ever, and even Izzy and Clary are smiling. Which fine, so maybe a kissing booth isn’t exactly the kind of thing that would be up Alec’s alley. But half the school is in love with him and he’d probably make way more money for the fundraiser than Simon ever would.

“That’s about as ridiculous a suggestion as asking Raphael to do it,” Magnus says, shaking his head in amusement.

Simon considers that for a moment, and finds he has to agree. “Fair enough. Alec wouldn’t want to kiss anyone except you, and Raphael probably wouldn’t want to kiss _anyone_.”

“Well, I don’t think that’s _entirely_ true,” Magnus mutters, mostly to himself.

“Jace, Magnus, and Alec are already doing other things,” Clary says quickly, before Simon can even start to come up with a response to what Magnus just said. Izzy nods beside her.

“So, if you could help us out with this you would literally be our hero forever and ever,” Izzy finishes.

Simon wants to say no. Not because he’s particularly _opposed_ or even uncomfortable with the idea of it. Hell, it could even be fun, in a way. Simon knows he’s decent looking. He’s no Alec or Magnus or Raphael, but he probably wouldn’t bomb and completely embarrass himself either. It’s just that he hasn’t kissed anyone since his last girlfriend, and that was over a year ago. Plus, these days, there’s kind of only one person he actually _wants_ to kiss.

However, when they both break out into a chorus of, “please, please, please, Simon,” he finally decides that he’s not strong enough to resist.

“All right, fine, I’ll do it,” he says. 

The table literally erupts into cheers, mostly from Clary and Izzy, but even Jace and Magnus are smiling.

“Thank you so, so much,” Clary says, reaching across the table to squeeze his hand.

“Yeah, no problem,” Simon says, squeezing back and wondering how he’d walked into that so easily.

* * *

Of course, Simon can never just accept his fate and move on. No, he has to try and drag anyone he can down with him. In this case, one person in particular.

“No way.”

“Come on, Raph.”

“Absolutely not.” Raphael shakes his head and glares at Simon. “It’s like you don’t know me at all.”

Raphael is sitting on one of the couches in his basement with his arms folded across his chest. Simon is sitting across from him. It’s been less than a day since the lunchtime conversation, but Simon hasn’t really had a chance to talk to Raphael until now. In retrospect, asking him this particular question might not have been the smartest idea Simon’s ever had. They’ve been friends for over a decade and Simon’s almost positive that Raphael has kissed one, maybe two, people in total. Like, _ever_. But, well, he’s already gone and opened his big mouth, so Simon figures he might as well just persist.

“I know it wouldn’t be your favorite thing—”

“It would _literally_ be my least favorite thing in the entire world.”

Simon huffs. “Okay, so maybe it wouldn’t be in your top ten.”

“It wouldn’t even be in my top _hundred_.” Raphael grabs a pillow from the couch and tosses it at him. It hits Simon square in his stomach. “Honestly, Simon, why the hell would you ever think I’d _willingly_ sign up for a kissing booth?”

“Because they’re fun? And you’re hot. And you’ll make a shitload of cash?”

Raphael does not look impressed. “Try again.”

“Uh… because I asked nicely?”

Raphael rolls his eyes, and Simon deflates. Apparently, that line of reasoning only works when it’s coming from Clary, and is directed specifically at Simon. Or, he’s just weak, which means that it’s time to try a different tactic.

“Do you really want me to do this alone? To _suffer_ by myself?”

“How is kissing a bunch of people torture for you? Besides, you’re the one who signed up for it in the first place. _Voluntarily_ ,” Raphael points out, giving him a pointed look.

Which, fine, fair enough. Except Raphael doesn’t understand what Clary and Izzy get like when they team up together. _No_ is never an option.

“I think ‘voluntarily’ is too strong of a word to use here. You have no idea how Clary and Izzy can get when they set their minds on something, okay?”

“Why do you think I avoid group lunches?”

“Hey, they may be a bit headstrong, but the girls aren’t _that_ bad.”

“Who said I was talking about them?” Raphael deadpans, before breaking out into a satisfied smirk.

“Oh my god, I hate you.” Simon picks up the pillow that Raphael had thrown at him earlier and chucks it back. 

Raphael easily ducks out of the way like the stupid graceful person he is, smirking. “No you don’t, you liar.”

“I totally do.”

If by _hate_ he means that Raphael makes Simon happy like no one else can, and that his heart still flutters whenever Raphael smiles at him. If by _hate_ , he means that there’s no one else he’d rather spend time with than Raphael, and that Raphael is literally the most attractive person Simon has ever met. Then, yes, _hate_ definitely applies to their friendship. Which probably isn’t really an accurate description of the word _hate_ , and sounds a lot more like another word that Simon’s not ready to use in his head yet, let alone say out loud.

“Can’t you just tell them you don’t want to do it?” Raphael asks, cutting through his thoughts, and thankfully refocusing him on the matter at hand. 

Simon shakes his head. “You’ve clearly never met either one of them, have you?”

Raphael holds up his hands in surrender, laughing softly. “I’m just saying.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. They suckered me into it, so I guess I have to do it. You’re absolutely sure you don’t want to join me?”

“There is literally nothing I would want to do less.”

Simon sighs dramatically. “All right, _fine_. I don’t like it, but I get it. I won’t bug you about it again.”

“Thank you.”

That puts an end to the conversation and they finally start working on the chemistry homework they’d met up to do together, in the first place.

“You’ll at least come hang out with me during my shift though, right?” Simon asks, a few minutes later. 

Raphael looks up at him, quirking his eyebrows.

“Just in case no one comes. I don’t want to sit there by myself looking like a loser,” Simon clarifies.

“I doubt you have anything to worry about,” Raphael says. “But fine, I’ll come hang out with your loser ass.”

“Sweet, you’re the best,” Simon says, ignoring the insult in favor of successfully talking Raphael into at least spending the day with him…

…while he potentially spends most of the time kissing other people. 

Maybe this _wasn’t_ Simon’s best thought out plan to date.

* * *

“Okay, but what if no one wants to kiss me?”

“Stop fishing for compliments, Lewis,” Jace says. “We’re trying to eat here. You know you’re halfway, decently attractive. _Ish_. Not my type, but I’m sure someone might get off on your gangliness and awkward everything.”

“I’m not fishing for anything. This is a legitimate concern. _Also_ , screw you,” Simon says, sticking his tongue out at a snickering Jace before turning his attention to Clary and Izzy instead. After all, Jace is an asshole and his opinion doesn’t count. 

“Simon, it’ll be fine. I don’t know why you’re stressing out about this,” Clary says, as Alec and Magnus join them at the lunch table.

“What is Sherman stressing out about?” Magnus asks, though he doesn’t particularly look all that interested in the answer. They slide down at the opposite end of the table beside Jace, Magnus with a tray full of lavish-looking foods and Alec with his literal brown paper bag lunch.

“He’s worried no one is going to want to kiss him at the booth,” Jace helpfully supplies.

Alec’s eyebrows jump up his forehead. “I’d say that’s a reasonable concern.”

Simon throws a carrot at Alec. “Oh, fuck you.”

“You wish.”

“Oh, yeah. _Totally_. Except, oh _right_ … as it turns out, I really, _really_ don’t.”

“Good. Besides, that’s _my_ job,” Magnus mutters, pressing a kiss against Alec’s quickly reddening cheek. Jace and Izzy both snort and Clary groans into her hands, Simon joining her, because no. Just… no.

“But for real, what if everyone else draws in tons of money and then I’m sitting there all alone looking like a moron?”

“And that would be different from your normal state, how?” Jace asks with a smirk.

Izzy and Clary reach across the table simultaneously and smack him.

“Ow, jeez, I was just joking,” Jace cries, throwing his hands up in defense.

“Simon, trust me when I tell you that you’re hot and you won’t have a problem finding people who want to pay money to kiss you,” Izzy says, patting Simon on the arm.

“Yeah, come on, Simon. We never would have asked you if we thought you couldn’t bring in money,” Clary adds.

Simon doesn’t know if he should feel complimented or slightly used. Maybe a bit of both.

“I promise I’ll stop by for a kiss if no one else shows up, okay?” Izzy tells him. Which is just great.

“Pity kisses, Izzy? Really? I thought we already tried that two years ago. It didn’t work then and I know it sure as hell won’t work now.”

Izzy laughs and wraps an arm around Clary’s shoulders. “Yeah, well we were young and dumb then. What can I say? But this is for a good cause.”

“There are definitely people out there who want to kiss you. Some you might not even know about,” Clary says, giving him her best reassuring smile. “Maybe you’ll meet someone. It could be fun.”

Simon narrows his eyes at her but before he can come up with a retort, Raphael is suddenly hovering by their table. Simon didn’t even notice him walking up to them in the first place. 

“Speak of the devil,” Jace mumbles, quieter than usual, but at least half the table still hears him.

Magnus flicks Jace’s ear, pulling a hiss from him as he rubs at his ear, glaring over at Alec of all people. “Jesus, control your boyfriend.”

“Sorry, but I kinda have to support him on this one,” Alec says with a shrug, and Magnus grins cheekily.

Simon has no idea what’s going on between those three, but he doesn’t care, now that Raphael is here.

“Hey Raph, you actually made it,” Simon says with a grin, and shuffles over so Raphael can sit down beside him on the end of the bench.

Raphael eyes the commotion on the other side of the table, but turns his attention to Simon instead, sliding in beside him. “Yeah, I finished tutoring early today.”

“Awesome! Well, I’m glad you decided to come find us instead of hiding out like your normally would.”

“I do not _hide_. I just need—” 

“—time to yourself to study or read or _whatever_ it is you do. Because you’re a nerd like that. Don’t worry, I know.”

Raphael rolls his eyes, but his lips curl up ever so slightly at the corners, and it elicits a responding smile from Simon.

When Simon glances up at Clary, she’s smiling knowingly at him, and he ducks his head to hide the blush. He’s clearly getting too obvious about his feelings for Raphael. Instead of embarrassing himself further, he digs into his lunch and lets the conversation flow around him. But Simon’s gratified when he feels Raphael’s leg press up against his and remain there. _God_ , he’s got it bad.

* * *

The next week and a half passes by in a blur and before Simon realizes it, it’s already Saturday, the morning of the fundraiser, and he’s freaking out about what to wear. It’s not like he’s ever been in a kissing booth before so Simon has no idea how he’s supposed to dress. Does he wear his normal casual attire or should he spice it up a little in the hopes of making himself more attractive to the money holders?

After rooting through his entire wardrobe not just once, but _twice_ , Simon decides that he needs some help. Of the professional kind. Or, well, as professional as he can find, considering he’s a high school senior with basically no connections at all.

But first, he needs to find his cell phone.

Once Simon’s finally manages to locate it under 3 different pairs of jeans that were stacked on the end of his bed, he dials Raphael’s number from memory, and prays that he gets an answer.

“Hey, what’s up?”

“Oh _thank God_ , you answered. I’m having a fashion crisis and I need help.”

“And you didn’t call Magnus?”

Simon snorts. “As if Magnus would have the patience to deal with me.”

“And what makes you think _I_ have the patience to deal with you?”

“Because you’ve been doing it since we were practically still in diapers. And you’re literally the only one other than Clary who can tolerate me in large doses.”

Amused laughter filters through the line. “God only knows how. But you make a good point.”

“Plus, you really do have the best fashion sense of anyone I know.”

“Simon, stop. You know I’m going to do it. I’ll see you in twenty?” Raphael says, and Simon can almost feel the accompanying eye roll and smile.

“You’re the best,” Simon says, hanging up before Raphael can respond.

* * *

Unsurprisingly, Raphael is more than prepared for Simon by the time he arrives at Raphael’s place, multiple outfits already picked and laid out across his bed.

“I wasn’t sure what look you were going for, so I just pulled together a few things that I thought you might like,” Raphael says, in lieu of a greeting.

Their family isn’t exactly wealthy (quite the opposite, in fact, due to Raphael’s mom being a single parent to four boys), but Raphael has always been incredibly resourceful, spending the money he’s made from his part-time job wisely, and shopping around for the best deals. It’s truly amazing to Simon how Raphael can do so much with so little.

“Dude, have I ever told you that you’re my hero?”

“Yeah, yeah, stop sucking up,” Raphael tells him, shaking his head before finally looking at Simon properly. “Dios mio, you’re a hot mess.”

“At least I’m hot though.”

Raphael rolls his eyes, but there’s a smile playing at his lips. “Idiota.”

Simon grins back, making his way over to the bed to inspect the outfits up close. “You know, if you’re going to insult me in Spanish, you might want to pick something that I _don’t_ understand.”

“Then how would you know I was insulting you?”

Well, Simon can’t argue with that logic. Besides, Raphael’s already giving up a large chunk of his Saturday to keep Simon company at a fundraiser he didn’t actually sign up for, never mind voluntarily taking on the additional role of being Simon’s personal stylist.

“Good point.” Simon claps his hands. “So, should we get started?”

Raphael makes Simon try on everything at least twice, in every different possible combination. Well, everything except for the jeans. As it turns out, Simon does not fit into Raphael’s skinny jeans, and after a few awkward moments where Simon’s worried they might have to actually cut him out of them, Raphael declares that Simon can wear his own jeans. His balls are particularly thankful for that decision.

In the end, they decide on a tight navy blue t-shirt and one of Raphael’s faux leather jackets that Simon not-so-secretly loves. It’s a simple look, but it suits him. Even if no one comes by the booth during his shift, Simon can at least know he looks good.

“So, what are you doing about your hair?” Raphael says as he starts gathering the clothes that were rejected.

“What do you mean?”

Raphael gives him a look.

“It’s fine. It’s got that natural messy look to it.”

Raphael continues to stare at him.

“You’re gonna do my hair now too, then?”

“If you want.” Raphael shrugs casually and disappears into his closet. 

Simon grabs the last remaining jacket from the bed and brings it over to Raphael.

He takes the jacket from Simon and hangs it up. Once he emerges, he presses his hands together and looks at Simon pointedly. “So, your hair?” 

“Yeah, yeah, okay, make me look good,” Simon says with a grin, swatting at Raphael’s hand when he tries to ruffle Simon’s hair.

They head for the bathroom Raphael shares with his brothers and Raphael sits Simon down on the closed toilet seat as he gathers up all his hair products. 

“I don’t know if I should be insulted that you’re pulling out all that stuff, or if I should be flattered that you’re taking this so seriously,” Simon says, grinning when Raphael ducks his head almost shyly.

“Do you ever stop talking?”

“Have you met me?”

“Sit still and keep your head straight,” Raphael commands instead, gripping Simon’s chin and turning his face forward. 

Simon resists making a comment about that being the only part of him that’s straight, but he doesn’t want Raphael to kick his ass, so he manages to keep his mouth shut.

Raphael’s fingers card through Simon’s hair, working their magic with confident precision, and Simon just prays to any god that will listen that his body behaves itself. Having Raphael’s hands in his hair feels incredible, but it’s also giving his brain ideas that it really needs to shut down. Especially since Simon’s face is level with Raphael’s stomach. He can’t see it, but he knows there are washboard abs under his tight shirt, and Simon’s tongue really wants to explore. Normally it wouldn’t be as much of a problem as it is, but Raphael has been all up in his Simon’s space since he arrived. And while they’re usually physically affectionate with one another, there’s an intimacy to this act that feels different somehow.

“There you go,” Raphael says, eventually, pulling back a little to scrutinize his work. Simon’s just proud of himself for not outwardly whining about the loss of Raphael’s hands in his hair. “I think that’ll do.”

“So, do I look kissable?” Simon asks, once Raphael has repositioned a few stray pieces of hair. He means to say it jokingly, nothing more than a silly little comment between friends, but it comes out gruff, and a little too intense instead.

Raphael is still staring down at him, eyes dark, and his gaze drops momentarily to Simon’s lips. He swallows heavily and Simon watches his throat bob, mesmerized by the movement. It feels like all the air has been sucked out of the room, and Simon can’t stop himself from thinking about how easy it would be to just arch up and close the distance between them.

“Raphael,” he whispers, soft and a little desperate.

For half a second, Simon thinks Raphael might just do something. But he doesn’t get a chance to find out, because someone starts pounding on the bathroom door, and they both jump in surprise, Raphael nearly falling into the bathtub in an attempt to back away from Simon.

“Raphael, are you done in there? I need to pee,” Raphael’s youngest brother, David, whines through the door.

“Yeah, sorry buddy,” Raphael says, quickly cleaning up the supplies on the counter. “Be right out.”

It’s not like anything even happened, but a brief wave of guilt passes over him when David stares wide-eyed at them both coming out of the bathroom together.

“He was trying to make me look good,” Simon tells David with a little wink, pointing to his hair. 

David gives him a curious look, but laughs it off before rushing into the bathroom.

* * *

The ride to the school thankfully isn’t awkward, much to Simon’s relief. He’s not sure what happened, or what almost happened, back at Raphael’s house, but he’s glad that it hasn’t made anything feel weird between them.

The fundraiser is apparently in full swing by the time Simon and Raphael arrive. Since their high school is attached to a community center, they have access to the entire combined parking lot for the event. The car wash already has three cars being worked on and another waiting in the wings, the bake sale table has people crowded around it, and it looks like the person on the first shift for the kissing booth isn’t lacking in customers either. 

"Do you know where you're supposed to go?" Raphael asks.

Simon shrugs as he scans the crowd of students for a familiar face. "I'm not sure. I figured I'd just try to hunt down Izzy or Clary."

"Lead the way, then," Raphael says, gesturing for Simon to walk. So, he does, Raphael trailing behind him.

* * *

Clary ends up finding them in the end, because Simon may or may not have been distracted by the bake sale, while Raphael attempted to talk him down from making any unnecessary purchases. (“Simon, do you seriously need seven dozen peanut butter cookies?” “Oh my god, yes. How can you even ask me that?” “What the hell are you going to do with that many cookies?” “Uh, eat them?” “And how’s that going to work out for you in the kissing booth?” “I’ll eat them after… All right, fine, be logical like that.”)

“Oh, good, you’re here,” Clary says, and tugs on Simon’s arm, pulling him away from the table and effectively stopping any attempts at making a purchase.

She leads Simon over to the car wash where Izzy is yelling at Magnus and Alec to stop flirting and get back to work.

“Hey guys,” Izzy says, smiling brightly at them. “You look great, by the way.”

Simon grins and scratches at the back of his neck. “Thanks. All credit goes to Raphael though.”

“Well, good work then,” she says to Raphael, who smirks but doesn’t say anything.

Once they’ve said a quick hello to their friends, Izzy and Clary outline the general guidelines for how the booth is supposed to run. Basically, that the kiss options available to the public include a kiss on the hand, the cheek, or the lips. And that Simon has the ability to refuse any kiss if he feels uncomfortable, no questions asked. There is also a minimum donation of $1 per kiss, but people can give more if they want. They’ve also left an extra chair for Raphael to sit in.

“Any questions?” Izzy asks, at the end of her spiel.

Simon shakes his head. “Nope, totally clear, boss.”

“Don’t call me that,” Izzy says with a grin.

“Thank you again for doing this Simon. You’re the best,” Clary adds, and pulls him into a tight hug.

“I totally am the best, I know,” Simon replies, and winks at Izzy and Raphael over her shoulder.

* * *

Simon’s shift starts off a little slow, but within ten minutes, he has an almost steady stream of people stopping by. It’s a very weird feeling, kissing people he has no emotional attachment to, and most he doesn’t even know at all. But it’s also kind of fun. Especially when people ask him for silly little things, like dipping them when they kiss, or asking for nose kisses. Raphael, for his part, mostly sticks by the booth, but he takes off every once in awhile to check out what’s happening elsewhere at the fundraiser.

“I can’t believe this,” Simon remarks to Raphael, when he returns from his second break with two bottles of water.

“You can’t believe what?” Raphael asks, handing one of them to Simon and opening the other.

“That, like, this is going so well.”

“Why is that unbelievable to you?”

Simon takes a long sip of water and wipes at his lips. “Because, you know… it’s me.”

Raphael scoffs. “Oh, please. Clary and Izzy aren’t idiots. You’re easily one of the best looking people here. There’s no way this could have bombed.”

Simon feels his eyes widen, and he stares blankly at Raphael, grateful for the light breeze that seems to be the only thing holding back a blush.

“Don’t look so shocked.”

Simon raises his eyebrows. “That you called me hot? Or that people want to pay money to kiss me? Because I mean, yeah, I’m not hideous or anything. But this still seems like a little much, don’t you think?”

“Not really. I’m actually surprised you’ve had any downtime at all.” Raphael shrugs, but doesn’t elaborate.

Simon considers fishing for more information, because this whole conversation has suddenly become _incredibly_ interesting— but a group of giggling girls who can’t be any older than 14 wander over to the booth with a stack of cash, and it’s back to work once more.

* * *

He only has about 15 minutes left in his shift when the first real lull in business happens. Simon has no idea how much money he’s actually made, but the jar is nearly stuffed full of bills and coins, and he feels a sense of pride at that. His lips are starting to get a bit chapped, but other than an incredibly awkward moment with Magnus’ creepy ex Camille, no one has even attempted to take things too far. Which is a relief, because while Simon’s kissing skills are decent, he has no desire to make out with half the student body.

Simon’s in the middle of reapplying chapstick to his lips when he sees someone come up to the booth out of the corner of his eye. So much for that break he’d been hoping for.

He frowns, however, when he sees who’s sauntering up to the booth.

“I don’t care how much money you donate, I am _soooo_ not kissing you,” Simon says, frowning at his sister once she’s in speaking range.

“Ew, why would you even say that, Simon?”

“Because you’re holding a shitload of money,” he points out, gesturing wildly to the bills in her hand.

Rebecca glances down at her hand like she’d forgotten it was even there before scowling up at him. ”You’re gross.”

“So are you.”

“And you two are both acting like small children,” Raphael butts in, leaning his head towards Simon to look up at Rebecca.

The instant Rebecca sees Raphael, her frown melts away into a wide grin, and it’s suddenly like Simon doesn’t even exist. “Hey, Raphael.”

“Rebecca.” Raphael nods at her. “Nice to see you.”

“You too.”

A horrible thought suddenly crosses Simon’s mind, and he has a hard time even voicing it. “Oh no, please tell me you’re not here to try and kiss _Raphael_!”

Rebecca honest to god scoffs at him, eyes widening before she shakes her head. “I don’t want to kiss your best friend. What is _wrong_ with you? Did mom drop you on your head too much as a child?”

She sounds so affronted by the insinuation that Simon feels insulted on Raphael’s behalf.

“Then why are you at the kissing booth during _my_ particular shift when Raphael also happens to be here? Especially since you’ve been here awhile and could have come up to virtually anyone else.”

If it was possible to sprain your eyes rolling them, Rebecca definitely would have done so right then and there.

“Si, you really are dense, aren’t you?” Simon ignores the soft chuckle from behind him as Rebecca continues to talk. “Look, I came because I have a proposition for you.”

“A proposition?”

“Yeah,” she says, eyes darting back and forth between Simon and Raphael. “I mean, you don’t have to do it, because I wouldn’t pressure you like that. And I’ll still donate money regardless, but the opportunity was too good to pass up on.”

Simon looks over at Raphael, who looks as confused as he feels, so at least he’s not alone in this.

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“I’ll donate the entire $50 if you kiss Raphael.”

“Rebecca—” Simon starts, because he doesn’t know what else to say. Beside him, Simon can almost feel Raphael tensing up, and he has the sudden urge to tell his sister to go to hell. Because honestly, just because she’s known about Simon’s crush on Raphael for the better part of a year doesn’t mean she can just take advantage of that fact. He knows Raphael’s into guys, exclusively, but that doesn’t mean he’d be fine with kissing Simon.

“Look, I have money and you know I’m not the type to just give it away for nothing,” Rebecca continues. “And since I can’t exactly kiss you, and nor do I _want_ to, Raphael is the next best option. I’ll still give you $10 if you don’t do it though.”

Simon’s already mentally three sentences into a rant at his sister, when he feels a hand squeeze his shoulder.

“It’s fine, Simon,” Raphael says. “I’ve done a lot worse for a lot less.”

“Ooh wow, you can’t say something like that and then not follow up with more details,” Simon says, grinning over at Raphael and raising his eyebrows suggestively.

“Idiota,” Raphael says, and smacks Simon’s arm. “Get your mind out of the gutter.”

“But what fun is that?”

“Um, guys?” Rebecca cuts in, and Simon suddenly remembers how this conversation originally started.

“Right, sorry,” Simon directs at his sister, then looks over at Raphael again. “You sure you don’t mind?”

“Of course not. Stop being so dramatic.”

Simon nods and turns to face Raphael, tongue darting out to lick his lips. This is probably a bad idea. In fact, no, this is _definitely_ a bad idea. But he’s committed to it, and Raphael hasn’t run away screaming yet. It doesn’t have to be awkward. Just two buddies sharing a friendly kiss to raise some money.

Before he can talk himself out of it, Simon leans in towards Raphael and closes his eyes. Unfortunately, they both tilt their heads the same way, and instead of kissing, they end up mostly knocking noses.

Simon pulls back with a laugh. “Well, that was terrible. I’m embarrassed on our behalf.”

“Should we try again?” Raphael asks, rubbing at his nose.

“I don’t think that was worth $50.” Simon smiles, tries to push down his nerves. He reaches out to lightly grip Raphael’s face, holding him still. “Okay, here goes round two.”

He hesitates for a moment, then leans in and presses his lips to Raphael’s. It’s soft, but generally unremarkable. Raphael, for his part, doesn’t really do much, standing still and letting Simon have complete control over the kiss. However, when he starts to pull away, it’s like a switch flips in Raphael, and he pushes forward, pressing their mouths together again. Simon makes a small noise of surprise in the back of his throat, but moves into it, absently rubbing his thumb against Raphael’s cheek.

When Simon pulls back, he realizes that he’s still gently cupping Raphael’s face, and reluctantly drops his hands back to his side. Despite the fact that the kiss didn’t last very long, he feels like he can’t get enough air. That was… well, it was kind of _amazing_ , if Simon’s being honest with himself. 

But he doesn’t really have time to enjoy it, because he sees the exact moment when what they just did hits Raphael, and Simon knows— he _knows_ —exactly what’s going on in the back of his mind.

“Are you freaking out? You’re freaking out.” Simon reaches out to touch Raphael’s arm, and Raphael looks up at him with wide eyes, mouth parted.

Simon glances over at Rebecca, who is pointedly (and thankfully) not looking at them, then turns his attention back to Raphael, who’s now staring down at where Simon is holding onto his arm.

“Look, my shift is done in like less than 10 minutes. Don’t run away, okay? I know you want to, but please don’t. We can talk.”

A few painfully long moments pass in awkward silence, and Simon feels his heart start to sink down to his feet the longer Raphael doesn’t reply. After what feels like hours, Raphael finally meets his gaze and nods slowly.

“Yeah, okay. I just— I need to get some air.”

Simon tries to smile reassuringly at him and gives his arm a gentle squeeze before letting go. “Good plan. I’ll come find you.”

* * *

The last ten minutes of his shift pass by in a blur. Simon feels like he’s operating on autopilot, the only lips he can feel on his own are the phantom memory of Raphael’s. He’s torn between wanting to kiss him again, and wanting to salvage their friendship, because Simon honestly can’t imagine a life without Raphael in it.

The second Simon’s replacement arrives at the booth, he bolts, muttering a hasty “hello” and “good-bye” on his way out. Clary is there to explain the ropes to the new person, and Simon has more important things on his mind right now, so he doesn’t feel bad.

Thankfully, Raphael hasn’t left, and Simon finds him talking to Magnus off to the side of the car wash. Anxiety washes over him in that moment, but he knows he can’t run away from this. It’s too important to allow fear to dictate his actions. 

Simon mentally steels himself, and then makes his way over to his friends.

“Hey, Raphael. Magnus, can I, uh, can I borrow him for a minute?” Simon says, hand unconsciously reaching out to grab onto Raphael’s arm. He stops himself before making contact, though. He wants this to be Raphael’s choice alone. “If you’re okay with that, obviously,” he adds, directed at Raphael specifically.

Magnus and Raphael share a brief look before Raphael nods and finally looks over at Simon. His expression is carefully blank, and it throws Simon, because he’s so used to being able to read Raphael. Not knowing what he’s thinking makes Simon feel strangely off-kilter. Magnus shoots Simon a significant look as they’re leaving, like he wants to say something else, but he just manages to hold himself back.

Simon feels antsy and nervous. Usually in a situation like this, he’d just start rambling about the first thing that comes to mind. But he doesn’t want to do that this time. So, instead, he keeps his mouth shut as he leads Raphael away from the parking lot and to a more private place to talk near the back of the school instead.

“Thanks for sticking around,” Simon says, when they’re finally away from the crowd.

“Where would I have gone?”

“I don’t know. Home? Somewhere not here?”

“I was your ride,” Raphael points out, arms folded across his chest.

“Guess I planned that well, then, didn’t I?” Simon says, and can’t help but smile when Raphael lets out a little huff of laughter. He’s so beautiful when he smiles. It makes Simon’s heart ache.

“You’ve always been smarter than people give you credit for.”

“Obviously,” Simon agrees. But he sobers quickly. “Look, Raph, we should probably talk about… things.”

“And by _things_ , you mean us kissing.”

Simon ducks his head and rubs at the back of his neck. “Yeah. That thing in particular.”

Raphael nods. “Okay.”

When he doesn’t elaborate, Simon knows he’s expecting Simon to start. Which is fair enough, since he’s the one who insisted they talk in the first place.

“This doesn’t have to change anything between us,” Simon starts, because no matter what Raphael has to say, he wants Raphael to know that their friendship is the most important thing to him. He just hopes the feeling is mutual.

Raphael presses his lips together, brow furrowing. “Is that because _you_ don’t want it to? Or because you’re afraid _I_ don’t want it to?”

“Um…” Simon says, eloquently, as his brain tries to parse through what Raphael actually just asked him. “I, uh. I don’t know?”

The second the words are out of his mouth, he can tell he hasn’t said the right thing. Raphael nods, expression closing off. “Okay. Then I guess that’s that.”

“No, don’t say that.”

“What am I supposed to say then?”

“I don’t know, but not that,” Simon says, and he feels a little desperate. He reaches for Raphael. “We need to actually talk about this.”

Raphael glances down for a moment. “I’m not sure what else there is to say. You said this doesn’t have to affect our friendship, so it won’t.”

“Yeah, but like, how do you feel about it?”

“How do _you_?” Raphael counters, shoulders slumping ever so slightly.

Simon sucks in a breath, and considers his options. He could just play it off, act like it was nothing, and their friendship would remain intact. Things might be awkward for a bit, but they would get over it eventually. But it _wasn’t_ nothing. It wasn’t _nothing_ when they were kissing, when Raphael surged forward to meet his lips, when Simon gently cradled Raphael’s face. He hadn’t _touched_ anyone else like that. He hadn’t _wanted_ to. But what if he admitted his feelings and Raphael rejected him? Simon didn’t know if he could handle the devastation of losing his best friend over this.

“Simon?”

Simon blinks, and makes a decision. “The truth? Like, the real, honest truth?”

“Yes,” Raphael says, and takes a step closer to Simon.

“Promise you won’t hate me.”

“I could _never_ hate you,” Raphael says, voice soft and sincere, and it makes Simon’s heart ache with affection for him.

Simon nods and takes a deep breath. He can do this. He’s going to do this. “I don’t want to lose your friendship. But honestly, I’ve had feelings for you for a really _fucking_ long time. Kissing you today was amazing. And I really want to kiss you again. Like, a _lot_.” Simon takes a deep breath and powers on, because he needs to at least get the whole thing out before he hears Raphael’s reaction. “But if you don’t feel the same, it’s okay. I don’t want to make you feel uncomfortable, so I can give you whatever space you need while I deal with my feelings for you. I just… don’t want to screw everything up, you know?”

Leaning back against the wall, Simon allows his eyes to fall shut, granting him a moment of temporary reprieve. His eyes fly open, however, when he feels a hand grip his own, and he looks down at where Raphael is holding onto him.

“Simon, do you know why I don’t date?”

It feels a bit like a trick question. Simon knows Raphael is ace, because they’ve talked about it, but he also knows that that isn’t really the reason for his lack of dating. At least not directly. “I always assumed it was just because you weren’t interested in it.”

“Sort of, but that’s not the main reason,” Raphael says.

Simon’s not sure how to respond to that, so he remains quiet, waiting for Raphael to continue.

“I don’t date because no one has ever felt worth it. I’ve never really felt comfortable with the idea of kissing or having sex with someone.”

“And that’s okay,” Simon says, giving Raphael’s hand a gentle squeeze. “You should never feel like you need to do something you’re not comfortable doing.”

“That’s not what I mean,” Raphael says, and shakes his head. “I’m not saying this very well.”

“It’s fine, don’t worry. Just say whatever you need to say. I can handle it. I promise.”

“Look. I'm not good with feelings. You know that.” 

Simon nods, because that's probably the understatement of the century. 

“Honestly, you're simultaneously the most frustrating and the most amazing person I've ever met. Most of the time I don't know whether to slap you or to kiss you.” Raphael’s cheeks turn red and Simon feels his heart pounding erratically in his chest. Because if he just said what Simon thinks he said, then he might completely lose it. 

“Wait, so what are you saying?”

“I'm saying,” Raphael says, and takes Simon’s other hand in his, “—that I don't need time for you to get over your feelings for me, because I feel the same way about you. I just… wasn’t ready to admit it to myself until today.”

When Simon was younger, his mother always told him not to make funny faces, because if he did it too much, his face would stay like that. As he grins from ear to ear, smile so wide he can barely contain it, Simon thinks that there are certainly worse expressions to be stuck with forever.

“Oh my God, that's like the most romantic thing I've ever heard you say,” Simon bursts out, and throws his arms around Raphael, hugging him tight. 

Raphael huffs, but he sounds pleased, squeezing Simon just as hard. “ _Eres tan ridiculo, que no sé porque me gustas tanto_?” he mutters into Simon’s neck. 

And before Simon can even request a translation, Raphael pulls back from the hug and leans in to press a kiss to Simon’s mouth. This time, though, he allows himself to enjoy it, arms wrapping around Raphael and pulling him closer. Raphael’s hand finds its way into Simon’s hair, and Simon nips at Raphael’s bottom lip until he opens his mouth.

Simon slips his tongue into Raphael’s mouth, satisfaction coursing through him when Raphael makes a soft, contented sound. They kiss without a particular aim or goal, just happy to be able to explore each others mouths and hold onto one another. It feels good, so much better than all the kisses Simon experienced today combined. But best of all, it feels _right_ , like they were always meant to kiss each other like this.

* * *

Clary and Magnus find them, still making out against the school wall, ten minutes later.

“Oh my _God_ ,” Clary shrieks, hands covering her mouth. 

“Well, I can't say I'm surprised,” Magnus says as Raphael tries to not-so-subtly hide behind Simon. “I'm sure I'm not the only one who's been suffocating from the completely palpable tension between you.”

“This is so great! I'm so thrilled for you Simon!” Clary cries, and pulls him into a hug. They do their little excited dance while Raphael and Magnus stare at them like they've lost their minds. 

It would be embarrassing, if not for the fact that Simon's never been happier. Plus, the reaction from his friends when he and Raphael walk back to the fundraiser together, hand-in-hand, is totally worth it.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! 
> 
> Spanish translation: _"Eres tan ridiculo, que no sé porque me gustas tanto?"_ = "You're so ridiculous, why do I even like you so much?"
> 
> Please feel free to come [flail/cry with me on tumblr](http://accordingtomel.tumblr.com/) about Saphael, Raphael, Simon, Shadowhunters, or whatever else you want to chat about! :)


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